Keep your lover and brush off cavities with a kiss

February 14, 1999
Web posted at: 4:57 p.m. EST (2157 GMT)

(CNN) -- After you eat all those chocolates that you get for Valentine's Day, you might want to reward your sweetheart with a kiss -- the American Academy of Dentistry says that kissing helps prevent cavities.

It may not be as effective as flossing and brushing, but kissing increases saliva flow, and the academy says saliva is an important buffer for tooth decay.